This invention relates generally to devices which are employed for holding dies for cutting external threads. More particularly, the present invention relates generally to tooling devices which are employed in conjunction with a lathe to cut a thread into a workpiece.
The formation of a thread onto a workpiece has been conventionally accomplished in a number of ways. For conventional cutting techniques which employ at least some manual input, a die is forced into a threadable engagement with the end of the workpiece. The workpiece is normally clamped in a fixed position. A torque is directly or indirectly applied to the die until the threading has been completed. One of the recurring problems in cutting a thread with the conventional die is ensuring a precise alignment of the thread relative to the central axis of the workpiece. An additional problem is to ensure that a substantially uniform torque is applied to the die throughout the cutting process.
Devices for holding thread dies to which the invention generally relates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,154,010 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,646.